While Philippe Coutinho’s value swells in a season of personal excellence, Roberto Firmino may be the most underrated player beyond Merseyside. His application enables others to shine. He is the facilitator.

Firmino took his goal tally for the season to 16 as Liverpool exposed and humiliated manager-less, insipid and increasingly doomed Swansea, to close the gap to Manchester United in the race for the also-ran title. When he was substituted alongside Mo Salah – denied the chance to chase his first hat-trick for the club so as to be rested for the fixtures to come – it was another sign of the esteem with which he is held by Klopp.

Liverpool may eventually be forced to imagine a post-Coutinho era. If so, Firmino’s ability to get the most from those around him may make it more tolerable.

“I appreciate Roberto’s effort and performances always,” said Klopp. “I could not say how many he has scored because he is always involved in dangerous situations. You could see he wasn’t the happiest in the stadium when I took him off.

“But I have to stay serious and reasonable because there are a lot of games to come.”

Brazil and Liverpool team-mates Philippe Coutinho (left) and Firmino danced their way to victoryCredit:
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Coutinho was also superb. It is to his credit the sulking of last summer has been banished by performances to enhance his reputation.

Whether he is still on Merseyside for a few more weeks or months – the January window is sure to be another chore – he is ensuring the long goodbye is full of memorable farewell gifts. He scored the first goal, created a couple more and had Swansea defenders begging for mercy as full-time approached.

Should his move to Barcelona ever materialise, he will leave with goodwill rather than rancour, this display demonstrating why he is in such demand and how much he will be missed.

This Liverpool side are infuriatingly good. They do not walk the line between genius and madness – they pirouettes down it. They are joyful to watch when gliding through defences, but there is always the feeling they can lose balance at any moment – too often making their supporters watch through clasped hands.

There was no danger of the defensive calamities suffered at Arsenal and elsewhere here, particularly as the Brazilians found top gear in scintillating bursts. They looked like they could score at will in the second half. If they ever weld solidity with flamboyance, Manchester City will have a rival. They have already scored 254 goals in the Klopp era.

They win plenty, lose few but draw far too many – the majority this season undeserved. The weekly obsession with their defence is understandable, but it may also mean this side are underappreciated – or certainly Klopp’s work in a still relatively short period is. There is far more right than wrong here, even if at least 10 points have been chucked away in the first half of the campaign.

Swansea arrived as one of those sides to have benefited previously from Liverpool carelessness.

Leon Britton, in temporary charge, hoped to repeat the feat of Paul Clement in making Anfield the starting point of a revival. Instead, they need urgent action. Despite a tidy period for 20 minutes before half-time, their physical and psychological collapse was alarming. Bottom of the Premier League is no false position.

Britton must have sensed what was coming when his side conceded after six minutes.

Jordan Ayew lost balance in midfield, Firmino stole possession in what is a trademark counter-press, fed Salah who served Coutinho on the edge of the penalty area. Coutinho duly dispatched his 11th goal of the season.

The procession took a while to get going, although the lead should have been extended before the interval, Firmino twice striking wide – an injury-time effort when he had time to pick his spot especially wasteful. But he made amends to volley past Fabianski after another perfect Coutino delivery on 52 minutes, and the away side’s efforts at damage limitation were doomed.

The third on 65 minutes followed more Coutinho magic on the left wing, juggling the ball before crossing where Trent Alexander-Arnold benefited from Swansea’s hesitation, picking out the top corner from just inside the penalty area and with the help of the underside of the crossbar.

Firmino tapped in the fourth a minute later after Salah’s unselfish pass and it was all too easy as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain lobbed in the fifth eight minutes from time.

“All belief and confidence just drained from the players,” said Britton.

“We made errors, basic mistakes and against a team of Liverpool’s quality you get punished. You need a seven-eight out of 10 performance but when you have errors you would get in academy football they are going to punish you.”

Players post-match

"As far as I can remember, it's always a dream to it at Anfield. I've scored two away from home so it's great to do it in front of the Kop. A few family members over from America so it was special.

"He was really happy with the goal and I got an elbow to the face at one point and he said I had to get back up unless I had a broken nose so we had a joke about that."

Oxlade-Chamberlain

"We won, we got the three points. Personally I was a bit disappointed with myself today but we tried to work hard through the 90 minutes and when the chance came to tuck it away at the end I took it. I just want more out of himself and there were a few moments when I could have improved my end product.

"We train every day, when you get in certain situations you work hard to get into certain positions. Overall it could have been better.

"It's important for me. If it helps the team to win we need that. It wasn't so crucial but for myself I need to keep doing that, getting in goalscoring opportunities. There was good quality all around, we defended well."

FULL TIME

Beyond easy. Swansea look like the worst team in the league on this evidence and are in real trouble. Liverpool were their usual dangerous selves but were helped out time and again by dreadful passing, poor defending and a simple lack of quality.

89 mins

And that's nearly six! Solanke attacks the ball inside the six yard area as Milner crosses from wide but the goalkeeper can save before the striker taps in.

AND SOLANKE!!!! So close! That would have been the best of the lot! Coutinho dances around the defence, waits for Solanke to run and then chips over the top, sending him wide of centre. Solanke watches as the ball drops and then volleys across goal. That would have been special.

GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL

Oxlade-Chamberlain keeps going, gets away with a high boot in the area to control and then reacts as the ball bounces loose off a defender and volleys on the outisde of his foot to place the shot beyond Fabianski.

GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL

Liverpool work the ball around so well here, with Robertson keeping it alive and Coutinho pulling the defence apart with some lovely skill and a smart pass to the edge of the area. Robertson puts it back in the area and Alexander-Arnold reads the play, steams in to beat the defender to the ball and buries it into the back of the net!

64 mins

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McBurnie comes off for Abraham. He's been OK this evening but not really had a chance to do anything with the ball. That can be blamed on a lack of support and Abraham now has to see if he can make a difference.

61 mins

Great run from Wijnaldum. He tries to go past most of the Swansea team as he cuts inside from a wide left position but loses out when running into the box. Routledge gets a good pass from Ayew, sends the cross into the penalty area and Fer can shoot! But puts his effort wide. Should have done better there.

58 mins

Olsson is booked for a late slide tackle on Firmino after an amazing, bending long pass from Alexander-Arnold. It's a Gerrard-esque pass, sliced and perfectly weighted, played across the pitch at an angle.

SALAHHHHH has missed. The free-kick goes low to the edge of the area, Salah loses his man easily and his first time shot rolls wide of the far post.

52 mins

51 mins

A shot on goal! Ayew shoots from 25 yards and hits the target, but there's nowhere near enough power in the shot and Mignolet doesn't have to try to save it.

Salah comes to life in the penalty area again, cuts inside onto his left foot but doesn't get enough on the shot and it's saved in the middle of the goal. If could have pushed that into the corner Fabianski was in trouble.

48 mins

If McBurnie is wearing shin pads they are absolutely tiny. Anyway, it's exactly the same as the first half so far. Liveprool are moving the ball a little quicker once in Swansea's half at least and Alexander-Arnold finds space wide right, hits an early cross and Firmino heads wide at the near post as he tries to flick the ball beyond the goalkeeper.

KICK-OFF 2

What Liverpool need to do

Get sharper and punish those Swansea mistakes. Jamie Redknapp says Swansea shouldn't be trying to play football and should instead get behind the ball and 'test' the centre-backs (presumably with long balls?) but the short passing has worked a few times. The problem is midfielders taking too long in possession and losing it, then Liverpool not taking advantage of the overload they are handed. It's almost like the players feel bad about punishing them for such basic errors.

Average positions

HALF TIME

Liverpool started like a rocket but fizzled like a damp firework during that one. Swansea have been their own enemy but Liverpool's lethargic complacency means they haven't been appropriately punished.

45 mins +2

Swansea give the ball away in their own half AGAIN and Firmino wastes a superb chance to kill the game. Mawson stands off him and turns the Brazilian onto his right foot, but he drags the shot wide. No conviction in the attack again!

43 mins

41 mins

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Firmino and Salah combine so well that Swansea just don't stand a chance when the flicks and tricks are mixed with passes. Coutinho turns his man and tries another top corner effort from inside the box after Salah is almost threaded in behind the defence. Corner.

Swansea pass from the back well but when they try a floated switch pass, give the ball away.

Firmino gets into the box, turns and chips into the area and SALAH GOES DOWN! Is that a penalty!? No says the referee. There's a wee tug on his jersey as he goes for the header but it's too theatrical for me, Clive.

38 mins

Much better from Swansea. They pass and move from goalkeeper to midfield and then switch the play without conceding possession. Mawson steps out from the back and Swansea win a throw-in in Liverpool's half.

Fer does well, McBurnie shields the ball and cuts inside onto his right foot., goes past two defenders... and is blocked. Ayew holds the ball up in the area... and it's a goal kick.

35 mins

Swansea's passing is so poor here. Liverpool are in danger of taking the lead for granted too, they're not being put under any great pressure when in possession. Firmino is penalised for a high foot after a good early cross from Alexander-Arnold.

30 mins

Swansea's passing continues to let them down. They're giving the ball away far too easily and Liverpool aren't having to work to win it back. When a player passes he's not then moving into space and the shape is too rigid and nowhere near fluid enough to allow long passages of play. Liverpool have switched off as a result and are making mistakes of their own.

27 mins

Liverpool's defenders take their time passing around the back, keeping things safe and ensuring they have possession. They make no risky passes, the team moves up the pitch, then back, nice and tidy, and then Mignolet decides to hump it forward towards Firmino. Why? Swansea head the ball away and win the second ball.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has a shot from distance but it's really poor and rises over the bar.

23 mins

Swansea pass the ball around their defence but can't get it past Mesa. Liverpool aren't pressing particularly high so they can draw Swansea out but even then they just don't seem to trust their forward passes. Liverpool dominating this early stage.

18 mins

Liverpool win the ball back well and work their way out of a press with some quick, hard passing then get all the way to Swansea's final third. Coutinho looks up and hits an early ball over the top for Salah, who is inches away from getting a header on it which would surely have taken the shot past the goalkeeper.

15 mins

13 mins

Liverpool are at it here. They're getting into dangerous attacking positions and the link up play is so delicate and quick that defenders are getting drawn out of position and caught out. Another Liverpool attack rips the defence apart as Salah pings quick passes in and around the box and the cut back to the edge of the box sets up Robertson for a shot. He slices across the ball and his effort is just wide and high. Good shot, great move.

GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLL!

Ayew is knocked off the ball, Firmino passes inside to Salah, who passes to Coutinho who puts his first touch a couple of yards ahead and draws the defender out, uses him as a shield and bends a 25 yard curler around the goalkeeper. What a goal.

KICK-OFF

Here come the players

How will Britton's confidence-lacking Swansea fare against the non-stop assault of Klopp's Liverpool? I suspect they might find this one rather difficult. Anfield is a tough place to go at the best of times but Liverpool are on fire upfront at the moment.

Leon Britton caretaker manager

A man entirely well versed in the Swansea style of football that saw the Welsh club rise the leagues, Britton takes charge today. How much of the Martinez/Rodgers style will he be able to implement at the club? Does he have anywhere like enough time to make a difference? Does he want the job? Maybe we'll find out something today.

Match preview

Jurgen Klopp has insisted he builds a "defending approach" to his tactics as Liverpool manager.

The Anfield boss launched a staunch defence of his side's rearguard set-up in the wake of leaking three goals in five minutes to slip to a 3-3 draw at Arsenal on Friday.

Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah fired Liverpool into a 2-0 lead at the Emirates Stadium, only for Alexis Sanchez, Granit Xhaka and Mesut Ozil all to strike in five minutes and blast Arsenal into an unlikely lead.

Roberto Firmino's goal salvaged a point for the visitors, but Klopp was still left to bat away questions about his side's open, attacking game-plan.

"We have an absolutely defending approach," Klopp said. "We played 4-5-1 and everyone has a responsibility to defend. We can line up quite offensively, player-wise.

"But there's nobody on the pitch who is not involved in defending.

Klopp will want a strong defensive display, and three points, from this evening's clashCredit:
Getty Images

"That they will cross, that they will shoot, it happens in a football game.

"I want to defend first of all; that's the basis for everything.

"But the best thing is to defend with 10 offensive players, because then when you have the ball, it's much more likely that you will score."

Former Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp refused to lay any blame at Simon Mignolet's door after the Belgium goalkeeper's mistake gifted Arsenal their second goal, from Xhaka's regulation strike.

"We don't talk about that now," Klopp said on whether Loris Karius would replace Mignolet for the Boxing Day clash with Swansea at Anfield.

"Everyone saw the mistake. It's quite difficult to judge because it will definitely never happen again.

"He's never conceded a goal like that, so you don't have to make a big thing of it."